Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)

SMRs are also modular, so many can be built together. These innovative reactors are designed to be built economically in factory conditions, rather than onsite. This new manufacturing process for nuclear reactors will speed up their deployment to meet the urgent need for low-carbon electricity sources.

Canadian researchers are collaborating on international efforts to develop new materials and designs that make SMRs practical for a wide range of applications in the coming decades.

SMR technology

Next-generation SMRs can provide electricity to smaller electricity grids, such as those in remote communities. These smaller reactors can also provide heat for natural resource industries. SMRs can also be integrated into larger grids as electricity demand increases. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that nearly 100 SMRs could be operating around the world by 2030.

Some SMR designs are in advanced stages of development. Several are designed to be fully underground, reducing land use and staffing needs, while simultaneously improving security. Some of these designs will enable a nuclear reactor to operate for years before needing to be refuelled. Further innovations include designs that can better integrate with wind and solar power to provide low-emission, reliable, and affordable electricity in the near-future energy system.

SMR potential in Canada

SMRs are ideal for many of Canada’s remote and smaller communities not easily connected to power grids. The country’s resource industries, such as mining and oil extraction, require the heat and electricity that SMRs can provide without the need to build the reactors onsite.

The deployment of SMRs in Canada has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in sectors currently reliant on fossil fuels. Ontario’s electricity grid has already demonstrated that nuclear power can effectively complement hydropower in replacing coal. Developing SMR technologies will strengthen partnerships for solar and wind power.

Some SMR designs are being advanced in Canada, which possesses the necessary materials and skills to become a world leader. Being at the forefront of the SMR revolution could bring significant economic benefits to Canada.

Natural Resources Canada has recognized the potential for SMR development and led an SMR Roadmap in 2018 to engage stakeholders on the future of small modular reactors in Canada. An SMR Action Plan, based on the roadmap recommendations, was launched in the fall of 2020.

International opportunities

A conservative estimate of the global export potential of SMRs is $150 billion per year for the period from 2030 to 2040. This includes applications for electricity generation, remote mine sites, island nations and off-grid communities.

The global market could be significantly larger if countries adopt SMRs as a key tool in the fight to reduce and eliminate fossil fuel use for electricity generation.